Vivobarefoot’s Galahad Clark: Driving forward the ‘barefoot’ movement

Galahad Clark doesn’t just craft shoes; he’s helping consumers take a step away from the footwear industry’s obsession with narrow, rigid, cushioned shoes by marrying regenerative materials with a "foot-first" design philosophy, placing foot health at the heart of Vivobarefoot, a B-Corp certified British minimalist footwear brand.

“The most advanced bit of technology to ever go into a shoe is the foot, and modern footwear weakens and deforms the foot,” said Clark in an interview with FashionUnited at the Vivobarefoot showroom in London. “If your foot works less optimally and unnaturally, then the rest of your body suffers, because everything goes through the feet, skeletal system, muscles and tendons, nervous system and basically, modern shoes systematically undermine all of those bodily functions.

“With Vivobarefoot, we literally allow the foot to work completely naturally, with a system that helps build stable, sensory, strong foundations.”

As co-founder and chief executive, Clark has helped position Vivobarefoot at the vanguard of the functional footwear movement, transforming a niche ergonomic concept into a high-growth disruptor challenging the aesthetic and orthopaedic status quo of global footwear.

It is also a growing movement, with Vivobarefoot reporting revenue of 91.4 million pounds in its latest 2024/2025 ‘Unfinished Business’ annual report, up 5 percent from 87.2 million pounds. During the same period, it also sold 1.2 million pairs of shoes, up 12 percent, as the brand continues to attract customers globally through its expanded product range, especially female customers, a growing category for the brand.

Europe, including the UK, grew by 6 percent to 42.6 million pounds for the 52 weeks ended June 28, 2025, while the rest of the world, which includes most of the brand’s B2B business, grew by 53 percent to 15.8 million pounds. However, the US, which has historically been the main contributor of growth for the brand, declined by 10 percent to 33.1 million pounds, driven by a combination of the wrong stock profile, increasing price-led competition, a weakened dollar, and tariff-related customer uncertainty.

Clark added that the UK, the brand’s home, is still “performing strongly,” and included the opening of a new and bigger flagship London store on Neal Street in Covent Garden, as well as its first in Bristol, which included a dedicated space for ReVivo products, from its re-sale, repairs and refurbishment programme.

Overall, in 2024/25, Vivobarefoot’s owned retail grew 7 percent, with its VivoBiome, scan-to-print footwear initiative drawing in consumers to its retail stores. In London and Bristol, the brand scanned 7,800 feet and produced 1,700 pairs of scan-to-print footwear. The brand also saw success with its ReVivo resale and repair platform, with the service saving 63,000 pairs from landfill, whilst generating 3.9 million pounds in turnover by selling 62,000 pairs of refurbished Vivobarefoots. ReVivo now accounts for up to 15 percent of the brand's sales.

“We believe Vivobarefoot can prove that commercial success and regenerative impact are not in conflict – they are co-dependent,” said Clark in the report. “Profit is the oxygen that allows purpose to breathe. Without it, we can’t invest in regenerative materials or customer health journeys. Without purpose, profit is hollow.”

Vivobarefoot CEO Galahad Clark discusses how he carved his own path outside the well-known Clarks family business

You are a seventh-generation shoemaker – what made you decide to rebel against traditional footwear design?

This was never a rebellion against shoemaking. Shoemaking is humanity’s original craft, 'the' true homo faber (tool maker) tradition. We need shoes for thermal and puncture protection for our most feeling part of our body. We always have since we started running down Eland in the Kalahari. The question is not whether humans should make footwear, but whether that craft is aligned with human nature or working against it.

Seven generations into shoemaking, I felt a responsibility not to reject the craft, but to realign it. Even my ancestors in the nineteenth century were broadly on the right path, creating 'anatomically correct' footwear, away from the Victorian horse-riding hobnail boots of the time. They started making footwear in the 1800's that was simple, functional, responsive to the body and the terrain. Somewhere in the twentieth century, as much of Western civilisation did, we lost our way. We began designing against nature rather than with it. Shoes became over-engineered, over-cushioned, and increasingly disconnected from how the human body actually works. Clarks even did 'Air' before Nike!

Modern footwear often masks dysfunction rather than restoring function. It interferes where it should support. I wanted to bring shoemaking back into alignment with our natural design.

What was it about the barefoot movement that inspired you?

The barefoot movement resonates because it is grounded in evolutionary biology, not ideology. The human foot is a sensory organ, with around 200,000 nerve endings constantly feeding information to the brain.

When you cushion it, stiffen it, and constrain it, you silence that signal. Balance dulls. Strength fades. Coordination suffers. Ultimately, the connection is lost. Feeling the ground is how humans evolved to move, navigate, and adapt.

Can you tell us more about the 'Free Your Feet' movement?

‘Free Your Feet’ is not anti-technology or anti-craft. It’s a cultural and philosophical statement about interference versus intelligence. Less interference. More awareness. More freedom. Strip things back, and what’s left tends to work better.

You described the foot as a sensory organ. Why is it vital for our brains to "feel" the ground, and what do we lose when we wear cushioned shoes?

This tension between fighting nature and aligning with it is one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century. Big Shoe, like much of modern industry, has been locked in a battle against nature: more control, more insulation, more artificial correction. But it’s a battle that can’t be won. Rather like trying to artificially stop flooding (so topical in Somerset right now).

As we develop ever more powerful technologies, including forms of artificial intelligence, there’s an opportunity for a collective course correction. The deeper realisation is that humans are not separate from nature, and that the most profound intelligence on the planet is ecosystem intelligence itself. Complex, adaptive, regenerative, and deeply resilient.

At Vivobarefoot, we use technology not to replace that intelligence, but to reconnect people to it, starting with their feet.

You speak about moving from "sustainability" to "regeneration." What does a regenerative business model look like at Vivobarefoot?

That thinking underpins our approach to regeneration. Sustainability is about doing less harm. Regeneration asks a more ambitious question: how do we actively restore and enhance life? For us, that shows up in circular design, natural and bio-based materials, repair and resale through ReVivo, and future manufacturing systems like VivoBiome that localise and personalise production. The goal isn’t just lighter footprints, but positive ones.

Do you believe that footwear can be sustainable?

Can footwear ever be sustainable? Not in a linear system. But in a circular, regenerative model, designed for durability, repair, and eventual reintegration into natural systems, it can get much closer.

How do you balance the commercial needs of the business with your mission to reconnect people with nature?

Balancing mission and commerce is simple in principle. The mission drives the product, and the product must perform. If we create the healthiest, most natural footwear in the world, the business follows.

Vivobarefoot has also been adding more lifestyle and outdoor focus footwear collections – why the move into these areas?

Our move into lifestyle and outdoor reflects a simple truth: natural movement isn’t niche. It’s universal. Whether you’re hiking, training, commuting, or travelling, your feet still want to function as feet.

You recently signed an NFL ambassador - why the move into elite sport?

Elite sport reinforces that reality. Our partnership with NFL player Mack Hollins shows that natural movement scales all the way to the highest levels of performance. Strength really does start from the ground up.

What are your key markets? Where are you looking to expand?

The UK, US, and DACH remain our strongest markets, but the opportunity is global. Anywhere people are rethinking health, technology, and how they want to live.

Ultimately, this isn’t about shoes. It’s about remembering that humans are part of nature, not separate from it, and using craft and technology in service of that truth, starting at ground level.